Chapter 16
'Meanwhile, In Spain...' Napoleon II turned 16 in 1827, and he received a most splendorous birthday gift from his father: Spain. All of it. Ferdinand was dead, the Bourbons were fleeing the continent, the Inquisition was on its knees, and the Spanish army was so malnourished and abandoned that many of the Bourbon troops were pledging loyalty to Napoleon II (newly arrived in Iberia). It was over for feudalism forever; the European Alliance had ended the ancient Spanish way of life. The pre-1809 borders of Portugal were restored, Spanish colonies everywhere were confiscated for good, and the House of Bourbon was summarily outlawed from ever holding office or rank in the "Empire of Spain." The consequences of this moment were great in number and power. With an Emperor Napoleon on the throne of both Spain and France, as well as their assorted principalities and titles, and their grandfather/stepfather on the Austrian throne, and their cousins, stepsons, daughters, stepdaughters, and extended family on the thrones of Italy and Ireland, Southern Europe became the playground of the Bonaparte family. Any questions over Austria's alliance with France were ended when news leaked that the ailing Kaiser Franz was supposedly considering skipping over the mentally incompetent and unstable Ferdinand, Prince of Bengal, in favor of his grandson "L'Aiglon" (which, to differentiate Napoleon II from the the I, was Franz's nickname for the new Spanish monarch). French Empress Marie Louise was supposedly the real power behind her increasingly senile Kaiser-father, making a place for her son to be the greatest monarch and leader the world had ever seen. Upon Napoleon I's death, Napoleon II would be Caesar of the French, Emperor of the Spanish, Kaiser of the Austrians, Emperor of India (likely), King of Rome, Duke of Reichstadt, and the master of all the colonies and territories under the power thereof, while dear old water-on-the-brain Prince Ferdinand would get a far off disease-ridden spice colony, just to add insult to injury. Europe was rocked. Prussia and Hanover flew into a panic. If Austria permanently fell under the Bonapartes, all bets were off. Russia's Czar Nicholas had formed a good friendship with Napoleon II, and treated him like a nephew. Above Prussia was Napoleon's godson, Oscar, sitting on the Swedish throne. Denmark-Norway, very close to Hanover, was leaning more toward neutral on the idea of revisiting the topic of a young Bonaparte once again being in control of the entire Earth's destiny. Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia wasn't a hateful or vengeful man. Napoleon had treated him well to his face. He just wanted to keep the balance of the Pax Napoleonica in place. Berlin was set to host the next World Congress. All the leaders would be together again. There, the Prussian monarch would offer a deal to Czar Nicholas. The Balance of Europe would be partially returned if Prussia and Russia drew closer together, possibly forming a friendship with the Turks or Danes. If they could do that, there would be a Eurasia divided in two, one side Franco-Spanish-Austrian, the other Prusso-Russo-Turkish. One side Catholic, the other Protestant, Orthodox, and Muslim. Friedrich did not desire war--he prayed against it--but he didn't want to be without oil for his lamp when the master came home to roost. Therefore, he drew up his plans in secret, waiting and hoping the day would never come when he would have to use them. Category:Main Timeline